Ouya Review
The mediocre beginning to a promising idea.
When it launched on Kickstarter and went on to raise over $8.5 million in crowdsourced funding, the Ouya
was heralded as the next revolution in gaming — an inexpensive,
Android-based platform where every game is free to try. It's a
compelling concept, but the resulting product is decidedly not. For all
of its promise, the Ouya falls victim to design missteps, poor
performance, and a critical lack of compelling content. Even with its
$99 MSRP and the potential to improve, the product as it exists today
misses the mark.
In spite of its failings, the Ouya does do some things well. For a $99 box, the industrial design and build is exceptional, thanks to the contributions of fuseproject — the studio behind the Jambox. The small, cube-like console is sleek and modern with gray aluminum casing that tapers toward a rounded base. With a footprint of roughly 3-inches, it fits alongside a TV or integrates into an entertainment center easily. Cable clutter is also minimal, requiring only an HDMI connection and a small power cord, though those without a Wi-Fi connection can also take advantage of its integrated Ethernet port. For side-loading apps and other peripherals, there's also a microUSB port and a fullsized USB connector.
The setup process is relatively simple. Just plug it in, pair the included controller over Bluetooth, establish a Wi-Fi connection, create an Ouya account, and you're ready to go. The only notable issue I encountered during the initial setup was several failed attempts to download a required firmware update. The Ouya's Wi-Fi chip is surprisingly weak and couldn't maintain a stable connection in a location where other devices were more than capable. Even when I moved it closer to my router, I still found it failing to complete the firmware download in one go. While certainly not a deal-breaker, it is an annoyance.
Like the box itself, the Ouya interface is visually arresting and simple, albeit lacking several key features. The entry screen consists of just a colorful backdrop with four categories: Play, Discover, Make, and Manage. Play takes you to your collection of installed apps and games, while Discover brings you to the Ouya store. Manage is a shortcut to the system settings, account management, and connection configurations. Make is reserved for developers and provides access to beta tools. Play and Discover are designed similarly, presenting games in rows of rectangular thumbnails, but whereas the store offers curated categories and genres, your personal collection cannot be organized or filtered. When you first get started, the library is small and easy to navigate, but since everything is free to try, your collection is likely to grow rapidly as you sample new content.
Because account creation is one of the first steps in the setup process, downloading and opening new games is fast and simple. To Ouya's credit, the free demo model is unquestionably compelling. Of the system's current 276 apps and games, some are completely free, while others let you play through a few levels or only lock certain content behind a pay wall. But even those that have paid restrictions provide unfettered access to fun, meaningful gameplay. In fact, in my time with the Ouya, I never actually paid for anything — due, in part, to the quality of the trial content but also because of fleeting interest.
The library of games, while large for a burgeoning platform, is devoid of any stellar standouts. Many of the available titles, like Shadowgun, Final Fantasy III, and Canabalt, are ports of older games already on a number of other devices. And even then, the marquee games you will find are good for little more than 20 minutes of novelty. What's worse, because Ouya uses its own customized version of Android, there's no cross-platform purchasing. In other words, you may have to buy a game you already own for your smartphone or tablet again, even if the only difference between them is its support for Ouya's controller and UI.
Surprisingly, a few SNES, N64, and PS One emulators have found their way onto the Ouya store, but even with the option of side-loading ROMS onto the system, the capacity to play 10+ year old games is hardly a killer app. And unlike its high-end console competition, the Ouya still lacks critical entertainment apps, with only Twitch.TV and Flixster currently available.
The system is also marred by a number of technical issues. Under the hood, the Ouya has 1GB of RAM, 8GB of local storage, and runs on Nvidia's Tegra 3 processor — a generation behind the latest model, the Tegra 4. While more than capable of running 2D platformers and even some more taxing 3D titles like Shadowgun at 720p or 1080p, performance is completely inconsistent. Some games run smoothly, others start to get choppy during action sequences and firefights. The system even struggles to handle the load of the primary UI at times, freezing up or producing a noticeable delay while scrolling.
And then there's the controller.
The Ouya's take on a traditional gamepad is an impressive effort, but has some glaring performance and ergonomic issues. The design has dense rounded grips that blend into a flat base with squarish corners. While the 4-way d-pad, action buttons, and analogs feel springy, there is often noticeable delay between commands and on-screen actions. Some games perform better than others, but the Ouya can't compete with the precision and responsiveness of Microsoft and Sony's solutions. Whereas the Xbox 360 gamepad or DualShock 3 have shoulder buttons that conform to your index fingers, the Ouya's are wide with hard edges. Subsequently, I often felt my fingers straining to make fast taps.
Like the DualShock 4, the Ouya features an integrated trackpad, but
there are few apps or games that make use of it. While a centered Ouya
button will take you back to the dashboard, the controller lacks a pause
button or any dedicated method for bringing up contextual menus. As a
result, game developers have been left to assign the role to one of the
action buttons, but there's no standardized assignment. In some cases
it's the O button, in others, it's the A. The complete lack of a
dedicated button or established alternative seems like an absurd
oversight. Better coordination with developers could resolve the
problem, but for now, it ruins the user experience.
In spite of its failings, the Ouya does do some things well. For a $99 box, the industrial design and build is exceptional, thanks to the contributions of fuseproject — the studio behind the Jambox. The small, cube-like console is sleek and modern with gray aluminum casing that tapers toward a rounded base. With a footprint of roughly 3-inches, it fits alongside a TV or integrates into an entertainment center easily. Cable clutter is also minimal, requiring only an HDMI connection and a small power cord, though those without a Wi-Fi connection can also take advantage of its integrated Ethernet port. For side-loading apps and other peripherals, there's also a microUSB port and a fullsized USB connector.
The setup process is relatively simple. Just plug it in, pair the included controller over Bluetooth, establish a Wi-Fi connection, create an Ouya account, and you're ready to go. The only notable issue I encountered during the initial setup was several failed attempts to download a required firmware update. The Ouya's Wi-Fi chip is surprisingly weak and couldn't maintain a stable connection in a location where other devices were more than capable. Even when I moved it closer to my router, I still found it failing to complete the firmware download in one go. While certainly not a deal-breaker, it is an annoyance.
Like the box itself, the Ouya interface is visually arresting and simple, albeit lacking several key features. The entry screen consists of just a colorful backdrop with four categories: Play, Discover, Make, and Manage. Play takes you to your collection of installed apps and games, while Discover brings you to the Ouya store. Manage is a shortcut to the system settings, account management, and connection configurations. Make is reserved for developers and provides access to beta tools. Play and Discover are designed similarly, presenting games in rows of rectangular thumbnails, but whereas the store offers curated categories and genres, your personal collection cannot be organized or filtered. When you first get started, the library is small and easy to navigate, but since everything is free to try, your collection is likely to grow rapidly as you sample new content.
Because account creation is one of the first steps in the setup process, downloading and opening new games is fast and simple. To Ouya's credit, the free demo model is unquestionably compelling. Of the system's current 276 apps and games, some are completely free, while others let you play through a few levels or only lock certain content behind a pay wall. But even those that have paid restrictions provide unfettered access to fun, meaningful gameplay. In fact, in my time with the Ouya, I never actually paid for anything — due, in part, to the quality of the trial content but also because of fleeting interest.
The library of games, while large for a burgeoning platform, is devoid of any stellar standouts. Many of the available titles, like Shadowgun, Final Fantasy III, and Canabalt, are ports of older games already on a number of other devices. And even then, the marquee games you will find are good for little more than 20 minutes of novelty. What's worse, because Ouya uses its own customized version of Android, there's no cross-platform purchasing. In other words, you may have to buy a game you already own for your smartphone or tablet again, even if the only difference between them is its support for Ouya's controller and UI.
Surprisingly, a few SNES, N64, and PS One emulators have found their way onto the Ouya store, but even with the option of side-loading ROMS onto the system, the capacity to play 10+ year old games is hardly a killer app. And unlike its high-end console competition, the Ouya still lacks critical entertainment apps, with only Twitch.TV and Flixster currently available.
The system is also marred by a number of technical issues. Under the hood, the Ouya has 1GB of RAM, 8GB of local storage, and runs on Nvidia's Tegra 3 processor — a generation behind the latest model, the Tegra 4. While more than capable of running 2D platformers and even some more taxing 3D titles like Shadowgun at 720p or 1080p, performance is completely inconsistent. Some games run smoothly, others start to get choppy during action sequences and firefights. The system even struggles to handle the load of the primary UI at times, freezing up or producing a noticeable delay while scrolling.
And then there's the controller.
The Ouya's take on a traditional gamepad is an impressive effort, but has some glaring performance and ergonomic issues. The design has dense rounded grips that blend into a flat base with squarish corners. While the 4-way d-pad, action buttons, and analogs feel springy, there is often noticeable delay between commands and on-screen actions. Some games perform better than others, but the Ouya can't compete with the precision and responsiveness of Microsoft and Sony's solutions. Whereas the Xbox 360 gamepad or DualShock 3 have shoulder buttons that conform to your index fingers, the Ouya's are wide with hard edges. Subsequently, I often felt my fingers straining to make fast taps.
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